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  1. #1
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    Oct 2005
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    Onion Valley Slide

    ONION VALLEY (above Independence), CA. April 29, 2020 – Shortly after 11:00am Inyo County Sheriff’s Dispatch received notification of an avalanche in the Onion Valley area. Inyo County Sheriff Jeff Hollowell and Sheriff’s Office Deputies were first to arrive on scene and provided first aid to the patients until the Inyo Search and Rescue team arrived.
    Further information revealed that two individuals from the Tahoe area came to Onion Valley to rock-climb and ski. The male/female pair set out around 9:30am to ascend, then ski a prominent canyon on the northeast side of Independence Peak, near the Kearsarge trailhead. After climbing for several hours they heard, then saw, an approaching avalanche. Both were caught up in the moving snow; the male skier was able to grab some rocks until the snow passed, while the female was carried out of sight down the canyon.
    After the avalanche passed the male skier who maintained stabilization moved down the canyon and located his partner. Unfortunately her injuries were too severe for her to be carried out. CHP Central Division Air Operations (H-40) inserted one Inyo SAR member to the location, and the patient was hoisted by helicopter and flown to Southern Inyo Hospital for treatment.
    While we are grateful that these two avalanche survivors will recover, as a reminder Inyo SAR and the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office have released an official request for the recreating public to adhere to the current CA Stay at Home Order, and not participate in high-risk outdoor activities. If you get sick, lost or injured and require SAR assistance, the responding team of volunteers will have to break social distancing and State mandated Stay at Home Order by sharing rescue equipment, radios, and vehicles. You will be potentially taking those rescuers out of service for weeks due to post-mission quarantine protocols.



    https://www.facebook.com/InyoCountyS...20491971466698
    Last edited by sfotex; 04-30-2020 at 12:06 PM.
    When life gives you haters, make haterade.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
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    SoCal
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    There was another photo posted to Facebook showing a different slide, not that chute on Independence Peak. Must have been a mixup.
    https://www.facebook.com/easternsier...7658416624743/

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1000-oaks View Post
    There was another photo posted to Facebook showing a different slide, not that chute on Independence Peak. Must have been a mixup.
    https://www.facebook.com/easternsier...7658416624743/
    'My' photo was off the Inyo County Sheriff FB. In your link it says 'Another wet slide occurred naturally up canyon during the rescue operations. ' - I wonder if that is a photo of the 2nd slide.
    When life gives you haters, make haterade.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Posts
    209
    https://www.esavalanche.org/content/...k-onion-valley
    Esavalanche posted the incident and provided a few more observations.

    "The avalanche started in steep NE facing terrain around 10,800' as a Loose Snow Slide. After about 300-500’ it stepped down to a weaker layer and triggered a very large, wet slab with an estimated 2’-4’ crown. The total slide length was about 2,500’, and measured a D2.5/R3. Rapidly warming temperatures, parly cloudy skies, and a weak overnight refreeze of the snowpack were all likely contributing factors. Weather from nearest remote weather sensor - Charlotte Lake (10,400'): -4/29: Low Temp of 35F at 4am. Temp rose from 41F to 51F between 8:00am - 8:45am. 56F at 11:00am, up to a high of 58F at 12:00pm. -Althought the previous day high temperatures rose to 60F on 4/28, the skies were clear, and low temperatures the night before dropped to 33F."

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
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    SoCal
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    Ah, I see now, both of the main chutes on Independence ran. Jeez.

    The chute facing East, check out the crowns: https://www.esavalanche.org/sites/de...2010-04-29.jpg

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